The day Allen lost his appetite
by bakaxusagi
Summary: COMPLETED! After overhearing an argument, Allen unexpectedly doesn't feel like eating anymore. What does it take for the beansprout to get his appetite back? The answer: Something involving Lavi, dessert, lots of tickling and a couch. LavixAllen / Laven
1. Prologue

_A/N:_ Hello guys, it's me again! You may not recognize me immediately if you have put me on your watch list, because I changed my pen name from_ Lunatic Weirdo_ to _bakaxusagi_ just recently :p

It's been a long time since I've uploaded anything, but now I'm back with my first multi-chaptered fanfic :)

This LavixAllen fanfic (- _**boy x boy**_,_ so if you don't like that, you should stop reading now_ ;)) is my Christmas present to a dear friend of mine. She has already recieved her present, of course, but I hope you'll like it just as much as she did :D

Have fun reading!

_Disclaimer:_ If I owned D. Gray-man, Laven would be the canon pairing. So no, sadly I don't own it.

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><p>D. Gray-man – The day Allen lost his appetite<p>

. P R O L O G U E .

The light of the setting sun faintly illuminated the small room. The warm light rays tinted the furniture a red-orange color, creating a homey atmosphere.

In the narrow bed in the corner, half-hidden in the shadows, a lone figure lay asleep. The figure was of a slender build and upon a closer look one could make out the features of a young male known as Allen Walker. Next to him a muddled heap of mostly black clothing could be seen lying on the ground.

A gentle breeze blew in from the window and caressed the boy's silvery white hair, causing a single strand of hair to fall across his face and brush against his nose. It must have tickled, since the boy stirred, wrinkling his nose. He sneezed, then sat up and began stretching his tired limbs, only to stifle a yawn a second after. Running a hand through his tangled hair, he got rid of the annoying strands that were dangling in front of his face. Through half-lidded eyes he tried to take in his surroundings.

Faintly he remembered to have put a glass of water next to his nightstand earlier that day. He reached for it and put it to his lips, only to find that he seemed to have emptied it before he fell asleep. Shrugging, he ran his tongue over his lips to moisten them and was reminded by his stomach that it had not been that good of an idea to sleep through lunch.

He bent down to collect his uniform from the ground and neatly placed it over the backrest of the only chair in the room. It bothered him when clothing just randomly lay on the ground in a heap, and he had only made an exception that day because he had come back from a mission in the early morning hours and had felt too tired to care. Instead, he had simply let the uniform fall to the floor before he had collapsed on the bed. Within seconds he had been fast asleep, and apparently his sleep had been deep enough for him to sleep through lunch and, he realized as he looked out of the window, almost through dinner as well. And now his stomach seemed intent on making him pay for depriving him of food this long.

Despite his midsection's loud complaints, the young boy decided to take a shower and change into clean clothes first. He completed his routine in the blink of an eye and was out of the door and on the way to the cafeteria even faster than that.

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><p><em>AN:_ Thanks for reading! I'm sorry that there isn't much action in the prologue, but I hope that you enjoyed reading it nonetheless. Critique would be much appreciated, especially because I tried to focus on being more detailed since I felt that my stories were missing detailedness, but I don't know if I overdid it and made it boring now... The next chapter will probably be up in the next few days, so look out for it! :)


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N:_ Here it is, guys, Chapter 1 of "The day Allen lost his appetite"! Enjoy :)

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><p>. C H A P T E R 1 .<p>

As fast as he could without running, Allen hurried through the long hallways of the Black Order. He was glad that his sense of direction had improved – at least as long as it involved finding his way to the cafeteria, for that was one of the most important places in this building.. for him, anyway. Otherwise he was sure he would've had difficulties in finding his way through all these similar-looking hallways.

The prospect of food, a lot of food, and _especially_ Jerry's food, notably brightened the boy's mood. His mission had been long, and the only thing Allen had missed more than Jerry's cooking were his nakama, especially his best friend.

_Speaking of Lavi, where is that idiot rabbit? I haven't seen him in forever. _Lavi had been on a mission to Italy for a week already when Allen had been assigned to leave to Sweden, so they hadn't seen each other for nearly three weeks.

Allen wasn't sure since when the rabbit was back in the Order or if he had already been assigned to another mission, so he decided to just wait and see instead of searching for him everywhere and getting lost. He wanted to eat first before something like that happened. _If he's here, I'm sure I'll see him in the cafeteria. Although... maybe he's in the library, reading or working on whatever the bookman gave him to do – or just slacking off. Either way, he's likely to skip a meal if he's too absorbed in whatever he's doing... Well, the fastest way to the cafeteria leads past the library anyways. I think I'll take a look inside to see if he's there. _

With that thought in mind, Allen rounded another corner. He was in the same hallway the library was in now, and he could see the wooden double doors that he knew led to a giant room containing more books and documents than he could ever comprehend. No matter how often visited the library, the books never ceased to amaze him. He had never really had the chance to read any of them, though he was capable of doing so. Mana had taught him how to read when he was still alive.

Lost in thought, Allen approached the doors, passing smaller doors that lead to storage rooms and the like on his way. However, just when he passed a door about three doors apart from the library, he heard a loud crash. Alerted, the white-haired exorcist tensed and readied himself to activate Crown Clown at the slightest hint of danger. He silently cursed that he had decided to wear his casual clothes instead of his uniform. Then his mind caught up with his body's intuitive reaction and told him that an akuma couldn't be the reason for the crash – his eye had not activated itself. That didn't mean there was no danger, though – after all, he couldn't sense a Noah. He was aware that the sound had come from behind the double doors though, so he approached them faster, albeit still slightly cautious. He was more than ready to barge in and help Lavi, Bookman or whoever else was in there, but he stopped short when he heard a yell.

"What the HELL, old man? What was that for?"

Well, that certainly proved that the red-haired exorcist had not been assigned to another mission yet. Allen relaxed. If the crash was caused by one of Bookman's... disciplinary measures, as that yell pretty much suggested, there was not much to worry about. For a brief second Allen contemplated going in to see if he could help his friend, but the thought of experiencing Bookman's wrath himself did not sound in the least bit appealing. Instead he decided to lean against the wall next to the double doors and wait until they finished arguing before he went in there to see his best friend. He was curious; He wanted to know what the idiotic rabbit had done this time. Not that he couldn't ask him later, but the redhead tended to embellish his stories, and Allen preferred to know about the actual situation.

"Watch your language, you idiot! You were thinking about that kid again, weren't you?" Bookman's voice could be heard. Lavi didn't seem to plan on answering the question.

"Look at this mess! It's going to take days to reorganize these stacks! Why couldn't you just have kicked me into the wall instead? That would've saved me a lot of trouble!" he yelled instead.

Allen raised an eyebrow in confusion. It wasn't like Lavi to get so angry about something trivial like this. Sure, he often complained when the bookman used his quite... _abusive_ disciplinary methods, but this felt different, somehow. Angrier than normal.. and without the usual fondness hidden underneath.

"That is none of your concern anymore, Lavi. Not since you've neglected your duties as my successor because of your fondness to that kid."

"So you're really going to demote me?"

At that, Allen started. _Demote? Why? And what does Bookman mean, Lavi neglected his duties?_

"I assume you are aware that you are no longer in the condition to be my successor. How do you expect me to find a replacement? I am already quite old, there is too little time to find a new successor and train him accordingly."

Allen frowned. _I don't understand.. Lavi is a goofball, that's for sure, but if there's not enough time to train someone else, can't Bookman overlook it if he's slacking off too much? I don't see why it should be necessary to demote him!_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. 'A bookman has no need for a heart', right? Still, you make it sound as if it's my fault! I can't help it if I fall in love, you know?"

"I know that. And that's exactly why I have no choice but to demote you."

The change in the overall mood of the conversation was almost palpable.

"Jiji..." The tone of Lavi's voice almost broke Allen's heart. But what surprised him the most were the bookman's next words.

"Lavi, I know you cannot change the way you feel, and you have become too attached. If I forced you to leave now to record history somewhere else, it would break you. You know that as well as I do. I have no choice but to find a new successor. It is for the best."

There was a short pause in which a muffled sigh could be heard – although just barely – through the double doors. Then Bookman spoke up again, "Do not forget that you are like a son to me. I want you to..."

The conversation continued, but Allen suddenly felt really bad about listening in. _That's not like me at all. Why did I even listen in in the first place? _

Confused, the white-haired boy continued his walk to the cafeteria, deep in thought about what he had just heard.

_So Lavi is going to lose his position as Bookman's successor. Because he became too attached. Because he's in love. _Allen frowned.

He had an uneasy feeling in his gut, and this time it was not from hunger. In fact, he didn't feel hungry at all anymore. That fact caused his frown to deepen. _Does this really affect me so much? I should be starving! Instead I feel as if I ate something rotten.. _He cringed at the thought. Eating rotten food was not on his list of favorite things to do.

He wondered why he felt this depressed. _I mean, sure, I care about Lavi and him being demoted now means that he has lived all his life working to achieve a goal that he isn't allowed to reach anymore – it's only natural to want to share his suffering and to feel bad for him. Still... isn't this too much? _Allen sighed as he entered the cafeteria. Maybe the smell of delicious food would spark his appetite again.

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><p><em> AN:_ Hope you enjoyed :) Next chapter will be up in a few days, so look forward to it! :)


	3. Chapter 2

_ A/N:_ I just wanted to say thanks again to all of you who left a review, I really appreciate the feedback! I'd be thankful if you'd continue leaving reviews so I can improve my writing :)  
>Sadly, I still don't own D. Gray-man. :  
>Anyway, on with the chapter! :)<p>

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><p>. C H A P T E R 2 .<p>

Since it was around dinnertime, the dining-hall was bustling. If the hall wasn't so huge, Allen was sure it would've been more than crowded. As it was, most people were already seated or on their way to one of the tables, and not even all the tables were occupied.

As he neared the kitchen, a tall, pink haired man emerged from behind the counter and enveloped Allen in a tight hug that smelled of culinary herbs.

"Allen-kun!~" he exclaimed happily, "Good evening and welcome home, cutie!"

"Nice to.. see you again.. " Allen squeezed out, before he added "Jerry-san... can't... breathe..."

"Oh, sorry, dear!~" Jerry said and let go of him, and, having lifted him off the ground before, set him back down.

Allen didn't say anything for his head was spinning from the temporary lack of oxygen and he first had to focus on breathing normally again. This gave the Order's cook the chance to continue talking.

"What would you like to eat today, cutie? I'm all ears!"

By the time Jerry had finished his saying that, Allen had recovered enough to reply in a complete sentence. "To be honest, I don't know. Somehow I don't feel so well.."

That caused the cook to look visibly shocked and crestfallen. He always loved to cook for Allen since he was a parasitic type, which in other words meant that he needed a ridiculous amount of food to be satisfied. It seemed to be a pleasure for Jerry to ensure that Allen's stomach was always full. In turn, the object of Jerry's adoration himself thought of the pink haired man as the best cook in the world. That Allen did not show any interest in eating Jerry's cooking was unprecedented, unthinkable even.

When Allen saw the cook's expression, he inwardly scolded himself for not paying enough attention to refrain from saying that he didn't feel well. There was no way Jerry would not make a big fuss over his 'condition'.

"Oh my, you're not sick, are you, dear? Have you been to the medical ward yet? Are you _sure_ you're not hungry? Actually, this is the first time today that I see you here in the cafeteria, so you can't _not_ be hungry!"

Allen suppressed a sigh. _And _this_ is _exactly_ why I always claim to be fine no matter what's wrong with me._

"There's no need to worry, Jerry. It's not a big deal.. I just don't have much of an appetite right now. I'm sure I'll be back to normal in no time.. For now, I think I'll just have some mitarashi dango as an appetizer?" Allen hoped that Jerry would think that he had made the last part sound like a question because he wanted to indirectly ask the cook to make it for him, and not because he wasn't sure if he would be able to eat even a single bite of his favorite food right now.

The prospect of making food – even a considerably smaller amount of food than usual – for Allen seemed to lighten the cook's mood immediately. To Allen's relief, the pink haired man understood his previous 'question' the way he wanted him to.

"Of course, I'll prepare them for you immediately, dear! Just sit down for now and your food will be there in no time!~" And with that, Jerry disappeared in the kitchen.

Sighing again, Allen looked around for the nearest empty table and sat down on the bench that belonged to it, not in the mood for company at the moment. The short time he had to wait was spent thinking while blankly staring ahead.

Allen flinched when a plate filled with a miniature mountain of mitarashi dango was placed in front of him, emitting a clanking sound as it came in contact with the wooden table. He turned his head and found himself face to face with Johnny.

"Good evening, Allen-kun!" the scientist greeted him. Then he gestured to the plate. "Jerry-san asked me to hand this to you when I went over to him to place my order.. this is your dessert, I assume?"

Allen forced himself to snap out of it and properly focus on his reply instead, so he managed to remind himself that admitting not to feel well was out of the question if he wanted to avoid causing everyone to worry. _I guess a white lie is in order, huh..._

"Yeah.. something like that...," he laughed weakly. "So, how's the science department doing?" he added quickly to change the topic. Keeping the disheveled-looking man who had grown to be his friend talking was a good excuse to refrain from eating.

"Oh, same as ever, you know.. huge workload, little sleep, and Komui is... well, Komui." Johnny laughed and Allen couldn't help but smile at him.

"I hope he's not making too much trouble again.. If he is, just ask and Lenalee and I will do something about it, okay?" Allen's smile grew forced as he remembered the last time Lenalee and him had destroyed the man's latest Komurin. _Komui just never learns.._

"Thank you, Allen-kun. You exorcists are always such a great help to everyone. I'm envious! That's why everyone from the science division is doing their best for you, to make your work easier!"

Again, Allen smiled warmly at the man. Johnny really had a heart of gold.

"Johnny-kun! I've finished preparing your order! ~ " Jerry's booming voice echoed through the dining-hall.

"Coming!" said scientist yelled back before turning to Allen. "I'll be off now, then. The others are waiting for their food!"

And with that, Johnny hurried over to the cook, who had prepared two large bags filled to the brim with food for him. After he had received them, thanking Jerry as he did so, he hurried out of the door.

When Allen could not see him anymore from where he was sitting, he turned to look at the plate in front of him. The mitarashi dango looked mouth-watering as always and smelled really delicious, but for some reason his stomach didn't react to it at all. _It bothers me so much that I don't even feel like eating my favorite dish.. Man, this is annoying... _He took a dango and popped the small ball into his mouth before he could change his mind about it. Slowly chewing, he tried to savor the taste, hoping that he would get hungry once he started eating it. To no avail, it seemed, because he didn't feel in the least bit inclined to continue eating after he had swallowed.

Sighing, Allen pushed the plate away from himself and continued blankly staring ahead in thought. He wondered how Lavi had taken the news and if he was alright. Just as the white-haired exorcist came to the conclusion that staring at his food thinking about everything didn't help at all and that it would be best to just go find Lavi and talk to him instead of worrying pointlessly, the object of his musings entered the dining-hall. Since Allen was still deep in thought, he didn't notice Lavi until he was standing right next to him and waving a gloved hand in front of his face. Allen sweatdropped.

"Hey there, beansprout! What are ya sitting here spacin' out for?" the redhead asked, grinning. He stopped waving and casually leaned against the table next to Allen.

Allen closely examined Lavi's expression for a moment. The smile seemed genuine. Wasn't he sad?

_'A bookman has no need for a heart.'_

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." he smiled back.

"You sure?" Lavi wasn't convinced. "You're acting strange."

"Of course I'm sure!" Allen defended himself, still forcing a smile. He felt bad for lying to his best friend. For a moment he thought he saw Lavi's eyes darkening with concern, but...

_'A bookman has no need for a heart.'_

Allen shook his head violently to clear it.

"Allen... " The serious tone in Lavi's voice made the smaller exorcist throw a confused glance in his direction. _Why does he seem so concerned? He should be depressed because of his own current situation, not worrying about me... And besides..._

_'A bookman has no need for a heart.'_

"What? I told you, I'm fine!"

"Stop it."

"I mean it Lavi, I'm fi-" Lavi grabbed Allen by the collar and pulled him closer. He growled dangerously.

"I _said... _stop. it! I don't even need to rely on my observation skills to see that you're anything _but_ fine! So stop lying to me for crying out loud and tell me what the hell is wrong with you!" While the first part was said in a low growl, Lavi's voice grew louder with every word and the last part of the sentence was nearly shouted. Allen flinched and suddenly became aware that they were gathering a small audience. He sweatdropped again, feeling uncomfortable.

"Uhh..."

Lavi looked around, scratched his head in embarrassment and laughed weakly. He let go of Allen's collar and grabbed his arm instead, pulling him out of the cafeteria at lightning speed.

"H-Hey! Where are you taking me?" Allen was clearly not amused that he was being dragged around by the red-haired rabbit. However, his question remained unanswered until they reached a door that, although looking similar to all the other doors in the Order, was located in a less frequented part of it and seemed to be the redhead's destination.

Lavi threw open the door and revealed a slightly dusty, lounge-like room with several couches and coffee tables as well as a few bookshelves. Albeit looking a little worn out, the furniture seemed to be fully functional. Allen wondered since when it was vacant and why the people of the Order had stopped using it.

Lavi seemed to have guessed what he was thinking about, for as he closed the door behind them he said "This was once the Order's lounge, but as you can see it is a lot smaller than the one we use now and the new one is also more conveniently located than this one, so they stopped using it at some point. I like to come here when I want to have some peace and quiet."

Allen nodded; That made sense. He turned around to face the redhead who was still standing behind him and effectively blocking the exit by leaning against the closed door. "Why did you bring me here?"

He could already guess why, but he still thought he had to ask. If anything, that would get them back to topic. If the red-haired exorcist was so intent on finding out what was wrong with him, Allen could also make use of this opportunity to ask him about his demotion instead.

"Why, to have you tell me what's wrong with you in private, of course!" Lavi smirked, which in turn caused Allen to smirk evilly.

"Oh, _really._ And how exactly are you going to accomplish that?"

He saw the redhead's eyes gleam mischievously and briefly thought that he didn't have an escape route since the rabbit was blocking the only exit. Said exorcist's grin widened even more – it was obvious that he too was aware of Allen's predicament.

"Don't worry, dear, I have something in mind.." And with that, Lavi pounced on his best friend and began tickling him without mercy.

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><p><em>AN: _So Lavi and Allen finally met, but instead of Allen asking Lavi if he's okay, it seems it's going to be the other way round. What do you think of Lavi's method of making Allen tell him what's wrong? :D


	4. Chapter 3

_ A/N:_ Hey guys! Here's the next chapter, enjoy! :) My chapters seem to grow longer every time... :D

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><p><em>xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <em>

_He saw the redhead's eyes gleam mischievously and briefly thought that he didn't have an escape route since the rabbit was blocking the only exit. Said exorcist's grin widened even more – it was obvious that he too was aware of Allen's predicament. _

_ "Don't worry, dear, I have something in mind.." And with that, Lavi pounced on his best friend and began tickling him without mercy. _

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

. C H A P T E R 3.

Allen, taken by surprise, had a hard time defending himself against the assault. Laughing loudly and gasping for air, he tried to tell Lavi to stop it, but to no avail. He tried to pull away from the redhead with the insane grin on his face, but his efforts in wriggling out of Lavi's grasp only caused both of them to collide with the armrest of a couch. Allen lost his balance because of the unexpected impact and the added weight of his 'attacker' and fell backwards with a surprised yelp, trying to steady himself by grabbing the nearest object, which happened to be Lavi, and thus pulling the red-haired exorcist with him onto the couch. Lavi suddenly found himself sitting on top of Allen on the couch, straddling him. The perplexed look on Allen's face caused the redhead to burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" asked a startled and slightly uncomfortable Allen from underneath the redhead.

Said rabbit had a hard time breathing due to his laughing fit, but tried to answer him anyways. "Hahahaha... It's.. its just.. hahaha, your.. haha.. your face!" he managed to get out.

He calmed down a little and managed to say, "You should've seen your face, it was priceless!" before once again starting to laugh.

Allen, still a little uncomfortable and with a light blush dusting his cheeks, was not amused. Instead of shouting, he settled for a blinding smile that was creepy enough to make Lavi's laughter die down instantly. "Would you please get off me?" he asked with a sickly sweet voice that sent chills up Lavi's spine.

"Well, actually... no."

Allen stopped smiling and raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"No."

"Why not?" he stared up at the rabbit on top of him questioningly.

"'Cause I don't wanna." The redhead grinned mischievously.

"Uh... okay... but _I _want you to, so now what?"

"Well, then, little Allen, you'll just have to answer my questions until I'm satisfied." Lavi's grin widened.

Allen successfully suppressed a groan, but couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes at the older boy. The white-haired boy looked up at him with a glare that unmistakably showed what exactly he thought of that idea. As Lavi did not show any reaction to his glare – he was probably already too used to being glared at by Kanda to be fazed by something like that – Allen concluded that he would have to accept his 'fate'.

"Ask away...," he sighed while propping himself up on his elbows to get a little more comfortable. It didn't seem as if he'd get out of this awkward position anytime soon.

Immediately, the grin disappeared from the rabbit's face to make room for a serious expression. He wasted no more time and immediately asked, "What's wrong with you today? And don't try to lie to me again, I_ know_ you're not fine."

The guilt he had felt earlier because of his eavesdropping returning full force, Allen looked away and dropped his gaze to the green and white striped backrest of the sofa. He suddenly felt uneasy and didn't want to answer the redhead's question, but it didn't seem as if he could wriggle out of this now, literally as well as figuratively. But that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

"Come on, beansprout, tell me already!" Lavi whined.

The 'beansprout''s eye twitched as he turned to look at the other. "Don't call me by that nickname, dammit!" he yelled, clearly annoyed.

"Why not, _beansprout_?" he smiled kindly.

"Lavi..." That sounded pretty threatening.

"What's wrong, _beansprout_?" Lavi was still smiling at the boy, inwardly laughing. The white-haired exorcist seemed to fall for his quickly improvised plan.

On to the next stage.

"Grrr..."

"Is something the matter, _beansprout_?"

"... shut _up_!"

"Oh, _beansprout_, you're so mean to me! Even though I'm just concerned for your well-being, all you do is yell at me, _beansprout_!"

"..."

"_Beansprout_? _Beansprout_! Hey, talk to me, _beansprout_! Are you giving me the silent treatment now, _beansprout_? _**Beeeaaaansproooouuut~**_!"

"Argh, shut up already, stupid rabbit! I eavesdropped, okay? What's wrong with _you_, anyways?"

That came as a surprise for the redhead. "Huh? What do you mean, you eavesdropped? And why should there be something wrong with me?" he asked, incredulous.

Allen blushed from embarrassment. "I was walking by the library today and overheard you and Bookman talking..."

"Oh." _How much did he hear?_

"Were you really demoted?"

"Well, yeah, kinda. I mean, the old panda still has to search for a new successor, and I guess while he's doing that, he's not gonna announce to everyone that I'm not his apprentice anymore, but... technically, yes."

"I... see..." was the only reply he got.

Silence. Uncomfortable silence.

"So.." Lavi began, but he didn't really seem to know what he wanted to say, so he didn't finish. Allen, on the other hand, still had something on his mind that he was dying to ask. He just couldn't understand it.

"Well... uh... aren't you, you know.. _sad_?"

"Why would I be?" Now it was Allen who was surprised. How could he not be sad? Was he just that good an actor, or did he really not care?

"Well, wasn't being a bookman the goal that you worked towards for your entire life? Doesn't it feel like you've lost your purpose now?"

"To be honest, no, not really. I mean, of course I'm a little sad that I won't be able to travel together with Bookman so much anymore, but really, it's not that big of a deal. The old panda has always been _way_ too abusive, anyways," he chuckled, "And about the purpose part – it's more as if my purpose has.. _switched_, you know?"

"Uh, actually, no, I don't..." Allen sweatdropped.

"I've never really wanted to become a bookman. At least not after I had learned what it meant. When I met Bookman, he told me that he recorded history, and the thought intrigued me. I was just a little kid then, without parents, still very naive of course, and I believed it to be something that not only was important but also gave my life a purpose. I went with him, thinking that the world was a beautiful place and worth being recorded, and eventually I learned how hard being a bookman _really_ is. Never staying at one place, always taking on a new alias, staying objective, not getting attached. And worst of all: Recording war after war after war – because that was apparently the only thing worth recording that humans did. It's not really the kind of stuff you'd want to spend your whole life doing."

Allen stayed silent for a while, processing what he had just heard. On one hand, he was glad that it didn't affect Lavi all that much that he lost his position, for he didn't want the rabbit to be depressed. On the other hand, though, he wasn't sure what to think of the personal information his best friend had just shared with him. Though they were close, they had never felt the need to talk about their past, much less the need to pressure the other into talking about it. They both seemed to be of the opinion that that information would be shared when the time came. For Lavi, this time had obviously come now. Did it have something to do with his demotion after all?

Anyhow, the 'not getting attached' thing explained the phrase that had been echoing inside his head the whole evening. It made sense that a bookman could not stay objective if he was attached to somebody or something, which also explained Lavi's demotion for he had mentioned falling in love, but there were still two things that Allen was unsure about. He had an uneasy feeling in his stomach when thinking about the redhead's obviously depressing past, but he felt that he still didn't get the gist of it. There was still a piece of the puzzle that he needed to fully understand what it meant to be a bookman. He felt that this was the most important thing to know right now, so he decided that he would break their silent agreement to not ask the other about their past.

"What exactly do you mean when you say you were always taking on a new alias?"

Lavi suddenly tensed and looked slightly guilty and sad, apparently anticipating that Allen would react negatively to what he was about to tell him. This made Allen frown, for what could possibly make the redhead believe that Allen would think less of him?

"Well... a bookman is supposed to stay objective and unattached. To ensure that, we are trained to adopt a new persona whenever we begin recording at a new place, and to drop it again when we leave. It is easier to cast aside eventual attachments if the one who made them isn't really _you_, you know?"

Allen could only nod. His thoughts were in such disarray that he wasn't able to answer verbally at the moment. _So, was it all just a lie? _But then again, he could see the hurt in the other's eyes. That could not be fake. He didn't _want_ it to be fake. He had to make sure.

"So.. if you aren't Lavi, who are you then?"

"I am Lavi, but at the same time, I'm not." He ignored the white-haired boy's confused stare and continued on. "Lavi is an alias, a persona of mine. It's the 49th name I took on since I began training to be a bookman. I shouldn't be attached to it, since it's supposed to be only temporary, but the thing is - I _am_. During my stay at the order, I have grown so fond of all of you that I don't think I'd be able to cast 'Lavi' aside anymore. Although I think that me being an accommodator has a lot to do with it, since the innocence makes it a little difficult to remain impartial and not take a side in the war, you guys are all very important to me.. I don't know if I could take it to leave this behind. Bookman seems to have come to a similar conclusion, otherwise he wouldn't have demoted me... you have to understand that _I didn't lie to you_. I have become Lavi, and I _am_ your best friend. That hasn't changed. " Lavi looked at Allen pleadingly, inwardly bracing himself for rejection.

He had not expected the boy to smile up at him kindly.

"I'm glad.." The palpable warmth in the boy's voice was more than Lavi would've hoped for. "I'm glad that were still friends.. and I'm glad that Bookman's decision doesn't depress you.."

"Oh, Allen...," Lavi half laughed. "Don't tell me the only thing you were worried about all this time was that I may feel down because of my demotion?"

"Uh.. sorta?" The redhead ruffled Allen's hair affectionately, smiling fondly. Allen blushed, embarrassed, but couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"Seriously, you're just too kind for your own good, baka." Lavi chuckled.

After a moment of enjoying the lightened atmosphere, though, he grabbed the rabbit's arm which was still tangled in his hair and stopped him. At Lavi's questioning look he asked, "So.. would you mind getting off me now?"

"Oh, yeah.. right..." Lavi sweatdropped. Grabbing the backrest for support, he lifted himself off the sofa and consequently off of Allen. He stood next to the sofa, waiting for Allen to sit up in a normal position, which he did. As soon as the white-haired boy's legs weren't in the way anymore, he flopped down next to him.

The two exorcists smiled at each other, happy that everything was cleared up now. Then, Allen noticed a change in Lavi, the rabbit tensed up a little, a flicker of determination in his eyes. However, the question he asked next sounded completely casual.

"Say, how much exactly did you overhear, actually? You never told me."

Allen's face flushed, he was still embarrassed and slightly guilty for eavesdropping, though he hadn't really done it on purpose.

"Uh, well.. sort of from the point were you were smashed into a few stacks of books or something, I guess, until around when Bookman said that it would break you if he'd force you to leave..?"

"I... see..." the redhead murmured, obviously thinking back to what exactly had been said in between. His photographic memory came in handy as he quickly arrived at a conclusion to whatever question he had probably asked himself. He turned more in Allen's direction and asked, "So I assume you don't know who it is that I'm in love with, right?"

Allen blinked, taken by surprise. He had almost forgotten that that was the second thing he had wanted to ask the redhead. He shook his head in confirmation. His interest must have been visible though, for Lavi, who had previously seemed a little conflicted over something, spoke up once again.

"Do you want to know?" A smile tugged on the corners of the redhead's lips, making him look vaguely amused and mischievous as well as a little rueful.

Allen, who didn't know what to make of that, decided to focus on the question._ Did_ he want to know? He had to admit that he was curious, but for some reason he had an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

When Allen didn't answer immediately, Lavi leaned towards him, causing his uneasy feeling to intensify. When they were just a few inches apart, the redhead spoke again, his voice merely a whisper.

"It's you."

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><p><em>AN: _You all hate me now, don't you? :D I'm a little sorry for this mean cliffhanger, but it was just such a good point to end the chapter, in my opinion xD  
>See ya next chapter, I hope :D<p> 


	5. Chapter 4

_ A/N: _Hey guys! Sorry for the wait :) But here it is, finally - the 4th Chapter of "The day Allen lost his appetite"! Only one more chapter left after this, by the way - I hope I won't disappoint you with how I ended this story...  
>For those who are interested in reading more of my stuff, I've just recently accepted the "100 Themes Challenge" that I am sure you've probably heard about already, and I've already written the first oneshot (though it's not up yet). I'm planning on uploading the themes here as a collection of oneshots that will mostly center around Lavi andor Allen, so if you're interested, I hope you'll take a look when it's uploaded! :)  
>Also, there's a redheaded plotbunny hopping around in my head right now, so I might start a longer multichapter story in the near future :3<p>

And now, on with the chapter! Enjoy :)

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><p><em>xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<em>

_ When Allen didn't answer immediately, Lavi leaned towards him, causing his uneasy feeling to intensify. When they were just a few inches apart, the redhead spoke again, his voice merely a whisper. _

_ "It's you."_

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

. C H A P T E R 4 .

Allen couldn't comprehend what he had just heard. _Him_? Was that one of the redhead's usual jokes? The white-haired boy leaned back, away from Lavi, and laughed awkwardly.

"M-me? You're kidding, right? You shouldn't joke about this stuff, it's-"

"I'm not kidding, Allen, I mean it. I love you."

That effectively shut up Allen's ramblings. He really didn't know what to say to that. _Lavi loved him?_ Thoughts were swirling around in his head and he felt a major headache coming on. Lavi loved him. Lavi _loved_ him. _Him_. Allen stared blankly ahead, wondering how he felt about that.

Lavi, on the other hand, didn't take the silence all too well. But he was used to hiding his emotions behind a mask, so he tried to do just that.

Allen's train of thought was interrupted though as he remembered with a start that he would need to answer fast if he wanted to prevent the rabbit from hurting. He hurried to say something, missing out on the part where he was supposed to formulate a coherent sentence before saying it out loud.

"Uh... " was all he managed to utter, but it was enough to get Lavi's attention. For a brief moment, the white-haired boy could make out a flicker of hope in the other's eyes. He decided to just go with the truth, since anything else wouldn't have been fair to the redhead.

"I... don't really know what to say. It never crossed my mind before. I mean, you_ are _my best friend, and... I guess I just need time to think about it."

"Okay" was the simple reply and Lavi turned away from Allen, leaning against the backrest with his arms placed behind his head and his eye closed, looking as if he was comfortable. Physically, he probably was, but Allen didn't think that the redhead was emotionally comfortable right now. Still, it was obvious to him that Lavi wanted to give him space and thus tried to act as if Allen wasn't sitting next to him, sorting out his feelings.

The white-haired boy decided that he didn't want to make the redhead wait for longer than necessary, and was determined to find out what exactly he thought of the confession. He was.. surprised, of course, and naturally he found it quite weird – after all, it was his _best friend_ who just confessed to him. He hadn't known that Lavi was gay – or bi for that matter – since for as long as Allen knew him, he had always yelled "STRIKE!" at the sight of a beautiful woman. That could have been an act, though, Allen supposed. After all it wasn't exactly a good idea to tell people from a religious organization that is overseen by the Vatican that you're gay – it's quite unlikely that the pope would be happy about that. He didn't know how tolerant the Order was towards gay people, but although he supposed that no one in the Order would tell the Vatican about it, there were still the Vatican's spies and he didn't think it would be possible to hide it from them for long if it was out in the open otherwise. If the two of them would really start a relationship, they'd have to hide it from most people, too, he realized.

Allen himself had never really spent a thought on his sexuality. It just never came up, to put it bluntly, he had had better things to do, other things on his mind. However, now that he was confronted with a confession, and from another male at that, he didn't exactly have the option of not thinking about it anymore.

He could easily admit to himself that he liked Lavi. A lot. But did those feelings exceed friendship? Allen didn't know. What did it mean to love somebody? It wasn't easy to define. He had heard people say that love means to truly treasure a person, to want them near you at all times, to miss them when they're not with you, to want to be there for that person, to know their flaws and cherish them regardless, to feel the desire to be close to him or her, both emotionally and physically.

Now that he thought about it, the fact that Lavi confessed his love to him made the white-haired boy blush as he truly realized what it actually implied. He felt happy that the rabbit cared for him so much, and he was aware that if he asked himself if those feelings applied to him as well, he could answer 'yes' for everything except the physical part – this, he just didn't know. He hesitantly allowed himself to imagine how it would feel to be kissed by the gorgeous redhead. The white-haired exorcist wasn't disgusted by the thought at all, but he just couldn't imagine how it would _feel_. He didn't have any experience whatsoever, after all.

Allen nervously glanced at the redhead, who was still acting as if he was alone in the room. Fondness bubbled up inside him at the sight. He didn't think he would be able to keep it together like this if he was in the rabbit's place right now, but Lavi gave him space to think and endured the wait in silence.

Allen frowned. _Should I just.. ask? But it's so embarrassing! Damn.. c'mon Allen, he's probably a thousand times more uncomfortable than you... how else do you want to find out?_

The white-haired boy sighed, butterflies pretty much wreaking havoc inside his stomach_, _and spoke up.

"Uh, Lavi?" _At least my voice isn't quivering or something._

"Mh?" Lavi cracked his eye open and looked at him.

"Could you... I-I mean, could I try something?" _Okay, nevermind._

"Huh? Uh.. sure, I guess..?" he answered, eyebrow raised. "What is it?"

"Er... could you close your eye?"

"Sure," the redhead said and did as he was told. "And now what?"

"Just wait, please..."

_Here it goes... _Allen stood up from where he was sitting on the couch and silently walked over to where his friend sat, hands cold and shaking due to his nervousness. He carefully placed his left hand on the backrest next to Lavi's head and his left knee to the redhead's left on the couch. Just as carefully, he placed his other knee on the part of the couch between Lavi's slightly spread legs so that he was kneeling in front of the redhead. A blush rose in his cheeks at the suggestive position – he hoped that his weight on the couch so close to him didn't make the rabbit think strange things. _Actually, this whole situation is strange, _Allen had to admit.

He took a deep but shaky breath. _Okay, here goes nothing... _

And with that thought in mind and his heart throbbing wildly, Allen leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to Lavi's.

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><p><em>AN: _Yup, again with the cliffhanger. I'm sorry! xD It just came out that way. q.q  
>See you next chapter :)<p> 


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N:_ Okay guys, this is the last chapter of "The day Allen lost his appetite" - this story has come to an end. Even though this fanfic was already completely written when I began posting, your support and feedback was and still is really appreciated, so I wanted to say thank you to all of you who have put this fic on your alert list, favorites list, or who have taken the time to review. Special thanks go to **kh07gl** (since you're not logged in, I can't reply to your reviews, but I want to say thank you :3), **Swiedish-Fish**, **animeobsessed001**, **EdwardElricAllenWalker** and **brightnight003** (your private message function is turned off, but if you read this: I'm German, so you don't need to review in English ;) ) who have left more than one review! I really appreciate your feedback and support, thanks guys :3

Well now, I hope you'll like how this story ends :) Now, on with the last chapter!

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><p><em>xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<em>

_And with that thought in mind and his heart throbbing wildly, Allen leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to Lavi's. _

_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

. C H A P T E R 5 .

He didn't see the redhead's eye fly open and widen in shock before softly closing again, he wasn't even aware that he had closed his own eyes, he didn't know how or when his right hand had moved from the backrest to Lavi's cheek and from there on to the surprisingly soft red hair and since when his left hand was grabbing a handful of the other's shirt, he couldn't tell when the rabbit's hands had found their way to his hips – everything except the feeling of warm, soft lips on his vanished from his mind.

It was an innocent kiss, just a mere brushing of lips against lips, but to Allen, it meant more than that. To him, kissing Lavi and enjoying it to an extent that made him blank out his surroundings meant everything. It meant that their feelings were most likely mutual. And Allen found that he was glad; He didn't think it would've been easy for the both of them if he had to reject the redhead. Their friendship wouldn't have been the same anymore, and it hurt the white-haired boy just to _think_ about the possibility of Lavi's feelings creating a barrier between them that would make both of them wary and uncomfortable.

Allen gently pulled away, by now half kneeling on the couch and half sitting on Lavi's leg, and not minding it in the least.

The slight smile that tugged on the corners of Lavi's lips, showing that he was still unsure about Allen's reply to his confession but happy nonetheless, caused a familiar fondness to rise up inside the white-haired boy. He couldn't help but smile slightly himself, but he wasn't oblivious to the spark of insecurity that flashed in the redhead's eyes. He was determined to erase that spark, but before he could say something, Lavi spoke up first.

"So.. this was what you wanted to try?" Allen nodded, whereupon Lavi continued, "Why?"

"Well..." Suddenly embarrassed because of this straightforward question, he didn't really know how to put in words what he wanted to convey.

"I like you. A lot. But I've never thought about the possibility of these feelings being more than the usual feelings of friendship... So I thought about it, and I came to the conclusion that I'd have to find out whether I want to take our current relationship to a more.. physical level or not."

Lavi nodded to show that he understood, so the white-haired boy continued.

"The problem was just.. I don't have any experience. How should I know if I want to be kissed by you if I've never been kissed before?"

He didn't have to explain it further. Lavi briefly thought that giving up your first kiss to find out if he could return the redhead's feelings was a sign of how much Allen treasured his friends, but he dismissed the thought quickly as he had more urgent things to think about.

"So you decided to try it." he ended Allen's explanation, receiving a nod in response. "And.. what did you find out?"

Allen blushed. Lavi had to strain his ears to hear the next words.

"I.. I'd like to do it again...", the white-haired boy uttered as his blush intensified.

A grin slowly crept up Lavi's face, although there was one thing he had to confirm before he did something.. rash.

He asked, "So... do you want to try dating me?"

Instead of directly answering the question, Allen admitted, "I... I think I.. love you, but.. neither am I completely sure yet, nor do I have any experience with this. The only person to ever love me was Mana, and he was like a father to me. I'd like to start a relationship with you, but I don't want to disappoint or hurt you in any way... so, are you sure about wanting to try this?"

"Very sure." the redhead answered, a crooked smile on his lips.

Allen couldn't help but smile back. Although he didn't want to get the redhead's hopes up, he was fairly sure that he hadn't misinterpreted his own feelings. He just wanted to make completely sure that he was right before he told Lavi so, just in case.

However, both their spirits had lifted considerably nonetheless. They began joking around, talking about random things, laughing at the mental picture of how Kanda's face would look if they (albeit jokingly, but it wasn't as if _Kanda_ knew that) asked him to join them for a threesome or wondering how Jerry was able to be so openly gay without anyone caring about it (they came to the conclusion that he must be too good a cook to fire him just because of his sexual preference), but Allen still hadn't quite registered yet that his gorgeous best friend was now his boyfriend. Said rabbit was already stealing fleeting kisses from him during their conversation, though, and Allen couldn't say that he minded it. It was nice.

He was content just being where he was, so close to Lavi that he could breathe in the redhead's scent, and knowing that his worries had been unfounded. The unpleasant feelings that had never once left him since he had overheard the bookman and Lavi talk had finally disappeared and dissolved into happiness. The white-haired exorcist couldn't think of a place he'd rather be.

Still not minding in the least that he was half-sitting on one of Lavi's legs, he looked at his boyfriend and smiled a truly genuine smile. The redhead noticed his gaze, and the happiness dancing in Allen's eyes made fondness bubble up inside his stomach.

Suddenly, Allen found himself being pulled closer to Lavi, followed by the feeling of soft, warm lips on his. This time though, it wasn't a fleeting kiss but one that lasted longer. It was a different kiss than the one Allen had initiated before, less innocent and more certain.

Allen was amazed at how much emotion could be conveyed through a mere pressing of lips against lips, for the kiss made him feel cherished and cared for in a way that words could not. He basked in the feeling of being loved and tried to put his own feelings into the kiss in return. The kiss suddenly intensifying told Allen that he must've had succeeded in doing so.

The white-haired boy smiled into the kiss, and if his eyes were open, one could've seen the warmth and affection dancing in them. Lavi nibbled on Allen's bottom lip, silently asking for entrance, so he granted it, parting his lips slightly. The sensation of the redhead's tongue in his mouth felt strange at first, and the kiss turned sloppy due to Allen's lack of experience, but eventually he came to enjoy the feeling of Lavi's tongue exploring his mouth.

One hand tangled in his boyfriend's red locks and the other holding onto his shoulder, Allen further deepened the kiss as he began, hesitantly at first, rubbing his tongue against Lavi's. A moan escaped Allen's lips, muffled because of the kiss. He concentrated on the battle of their tongues so much that he didn't realize that Lavi was turning on the couch and gently laying both of them down so that he was once again straddling the white-haired boy – though intentionally this time – until he felt the armrest digging a little uncomfortably into his neck. He didn't mind it too much though, for he was preoccupied with exploring Lavi's mouth with his tongue. He didn't care if Lavi had let him win the 'battle' or not, all that counted was the reward of tasting the inside of that warm and wet cavern.

Eventually, the two of them had to part for air, and Lavi seemed to find joy in trailing kisses from the corner of his lips to his ear, where the redhead's tongue darted out to lick Allen's earlobe, eliciting another moan from the white-haired boy. Allen would've been self-conscious, but he was still trying to figure out what the redhead's mouth had tasted like. It had been sweet, like he had eaten something that involved a lot of sugar, so Lavi must've had dessert just a short while ago. _Mh... dessert..._

Lavi captured Allen's attention again as he began loosening the smaller boy's necktie, uncovering part of his slender neck and trailing kisses along his jawbone down to the newly exposed skin. He was interrupted, though, by the sudden growling of Allen's stomach. Lavi's head snapped up and he looked at a slightly blushing Allen, not sure how to react to that. His gaze made Allen feel as if he had to say something, so he uttered, "Uh... I'm hungry?"

That did it. Lavi burst out laughing. Allen felt a little offended and complained, "Hey! I haven't eaten in forever, okay? You know that I have a fast metabolism!"

But Lavi was laughing so hard that he had trouble breathing and thus wasn't able to respond to that. In the corner of his eye, tears of laughter were forming. As Allen watched him, he couldn't help but chuckle. It was sort of cute.

"Calm down, Lavi," he laughed, gently wiping away a tear that had escaped Lavi's eye, "it wasn't even that funny!"

The redhead tried to focus on his breathing in order to calm down and managed to gather enough air to respond, "Oh yes, it was! Talk about perfect timing!"

Gradually, his laughter died down, and he swiftly re-tied his boyfriend's necktie before standing up and pulling Allen up to his feet shortly after.

"Come on, beansprout, let's head to the cafeteria before your black hole of a stomach decides that 'gorgeous redhead' sounds like a good snack," he grinned as he walked over to the door and opened it, just to have a black and white blur pass him in a hurry.

"Hey, wait up, beansprout!" he yelled after him, only to hear a distant "It's Allen, baka usagi!" echoing through the hallways.

Lavi sighed, a fond smile on his lips. "Oh, well.."

And with that, the redhead headed for the cafeteria as well, though at a much slower pace.

Behind a column nearby, Bookman smiled to himself. "I knew you'd go tell him. It seems like he returns your feelings, just as I predicted. I hope you'll finally find happiness now, my son."

. F I N .

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><p><em>AN:_ It's finished! Q_Q It would be awesome if you'd leave a review to tell me how you liked the chapter or even the story in general. Imaginary cookies for everyone! :D

I'm gonna upload the first oneshot for the "100 Themes Challenge" in the next few days, though that oneshot collection will be updated irregularly since it doesn't matter when the next oneshot is updated; after all, they're not connected.  
>Also look out for my next multichapter fanfic which is going to be an AU fic and will most likely be named <em>"Post-It Thief"<em>. I have the first eight or so chapters planned out, but there's a large chunk in the middle where I'm not exactly sure about what to write, so your feedback will be of great help when the time comes. Updates for _Post-It Thief _will probably be more or less irregularly too, but I'll try not to make you wait for too long. It's going to take longer to update than this one of course, since I haven't even started writing it yet.

Anyways, big thanks to everyone for reading! I love you all :D

~ bakaxusagi


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